No Mayo spicy coleslaw and hot hot jerk chicken

I had a lovely night last night, good food, good friends, Cuba Libres with fresh mint and the X-factor! It doesn't get much better than that!

By some freak of nature we had a rain free evening (almost unheard of in Manchester) so we made the most of it and got the barbecue out for probably the last time this year to cook some spicy, juicy jerk chicken. I served it with rice and peas, salad and some home made coleslaw. I not usually a fan of coleslaw. Mainly because I really don't like mayo. In my opinion it doesn't taste nice enough to warrant how fattening it is. Not that Im a complete health freak who wont eat anything fattening ever. I love cheese for example (Very fattening but so worth it!). Mayo just tastes to me like added extra grease so I never eat coleslaw but i like the idea of all the crunchy raw veg so i put together a much lighter version and threw in some chilli and coriander to make it a bit more interesting. I bound it together with low fat creme-fraiche instead of mayo and it was a perfect refreshing accompaniment to the fiery jerk chicken.YUM!

Here's what I did:

Low fat spicy coleslaw:

Ingredients:

1 carrot

Half a white cabbage

1 white onion

150mls creme-fraiche

juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon caster sugar

half teaspoon slat

Half a red chilli (seeds optional)

handful of fresh coriander

Directions:

Grate the carrot and finely chop the onion and cabbage chilli and coriander.

Mix the creme-fraiche, salt, sugar and lime juice and add to the vegetables and that's it! Done! This makes loads though and we had tonnes left over so if I make it again I will scale down the quantities a bit

Jerk Chicken

Ingredients.

Chicken pieces with skin on
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 scotch bonnet chilli
1 red chilli
4cloves garlic
1 inch chunk fresh ginger
handful fresh chives
handful fresh thyme
juice of 1 lime
100ls dark rum

Directions.

Blend all the marinade ingredients and rub on the chicken and leave for a couple of hours for the flavors to develop. Then cook in the oven or barbecue.

**Be warned though it is REALLY spicy. The scotch bonnet chilli can be left out or de-seeded if you cant handle to much heat. Also its worth mentioning that I would never usually cook chicken with the skin on. This can be made without to cut fat but as it was cooked on the barbecue i felt that keeping the skin on would keep it moist and juicy ad also be a great vehicle for the marinade to stick to. It turned out juicy and moist in the middle and crispy and spicy on the outside so I would recommend keeping it on. 

The rice and peas was made from a Simon Rimmer recipe, check it out here. It was seriously good! To scale down on fat I used low fat coconut milk.

The perfect drink to wash this spicy feast down with was Cuba Libres made with Sailor Jerry's. For a refreshing twist on the classic drink my friend Matt added lots of fresh chopped mint.They were delicious Unfortunately i definitely had too many and I'm feeling less than fresh myself this morning. Its a good job there's a fridge full of delicious left overs to ease my hangover. Yum yum!

High Fiber Apple Muffins

I've always thought of muffins as being really easy to make but the last few attempts I made at making them have been pretty disastrous and turned out heavy and tough. I think trying to make them wholegrain makes it more difficult for them to rise but even so i still got something pretty wrong. I've been thinking all week that I'm determined to make light and fluffy wholewheat muffins (I know I need to get out more!), and so that's what I set out to do today. I wanted to make some of the giant, light and fluffy muffins that you get in Starbucks that rise so much that they spill over the side of the muffin case. I tried every tip i could find to make them as light as possible and filled the muffin cases nearly to the brim but I still didn't get the muffin top I was after.

However they did still rise quite a bit and the texture was the lightest and fluffiest I've ever been able to achieve in a whole wheat muffin so I thought I'd share how I made them anyway even though I wasn't 100% satisfied and I have definitely not finished on my quest for a healthy, Starbucks style muffin recipe. 

Ingredients:

200g Wholewheat self raising flour

50ml sunflower oil

80g golden caster sugar

2 apples

2 medium eggs

120 mls semi skimmed milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Mix flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder well and then sift into a large mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and then add the milk oil and sugar and beat together.

Grate the apples and add to the wet mixture. Leave the skins on.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients until only just mixed.

Fill muffin cases to the brim and bake for 25mins. This should make 8 muffins

The general consensus seams to be that the trick to getting muffins light and fluffy is to sift the flour and not over-mix the batter. That is why I mixed the dry ingredients and then sifted them to keep as much air in the flour as possible. I also read that a good tip to help them rise is to lightly grease the muffin cases which I did but seeing as they didn't rise that much I don't think that helped.

Health-wise 1 muffin contains around 225 calories. Although they do contain a little bit of caster sugar 80g make 8 muffins so that's 10g per muffin. OK that's still fairly high but compared to a Starbucks apple and cinnamon muffin which contains 28.4g sugar and 430 calories its not looking so bad. My muffins also contain 4.2g of fiber, over a quarter of the recommended daily amount. I leave the skins on the apples when I grate them as they add more fiber and I don't mind the texture. They are a great pre workout snack. In fact I had one today about 30 minutes before I went running and I had loads of energy.
Plus they taste really nice!

If anyone has any tips on how to get muffins to rise better please do let me know.

Skinny Breakfast Sundaes

I'm really getting into this food blogging! Apart from the fact it means I have a record of my recipes (I used to be so bad at writing things down before I started doing this), one of the best things about food blogging is that I've discovered loads of food blogs I'd never come across before and got some great ideas from them.

Here are a few of my favourites.

http://antoniathecuisinequeen.blogspot.co.uk/  http://wannabequeenofcuisine.co.uk/ : First off a friend of mine. Antonia probably loves food as much as anyone I know and her passion really comes across in her blog. She's a weight watchers leader so theres a great mixture of healthy ideas and twists on indulgent treats. She has two websites at the moment. The second link includes a restaurant blog with her own reviews of some great Liverpool restaurants. Keep it up Ant, loving your work!

http://thevoguevegetarian.wordpress.com/ : Another friend from Liverpool. Some fab food photography and some gorgeous vegetarian food ideas. Love the blog Kirsty!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ I've posted a link to this one before but its still one of my favourites. All vegan and all about the desserts. I couldn't get enough of her chocolate chip blondies made with chickpeas. (Sounds weird I know but it really works!) She's given me so many ideas.

http://amybites.com/ Amy's blog description reads, "A little healthy, a little sweet, a lot delicious!" I couldn't agree more. She does like healthy alternatives and wholesome ingredients but some of the recipes in her 'Sunday Sweets' section are unapologetically naughty. Her latest post of Kahlua Brownies looks absolutely to die for!

http://www.girlmakesfood.com/ This blog is all about food, health and nutrition so its right up my street. There are some gorgeous vegetarian meal ideas and she uses some unusual healthy ingredients. I cant wait to try her Socca flatbreads. I recently made her banana nut granola. It was completely free from refined sugar and absolutely delicious. The sweetness came from the banana but as I have a really sweet tooth I added a generous squeeze of agave nectar.With milk, this granola tasted like crunchy nut clusters but with a fraction of the sugar. I also used this granola in this simple breakfast idea: My skinny breakfast sundaes! A light nutritious breakfast that tastes like a real treat. It would be great for a snack or a dessert as well.

Skinny Breakfast Sundaes:

Ingredients:

100mls fat free Greek yogurt

3 tablespoons homemade sugar free jam or fresh fruit.

3 tablespoons homemade granola (recipe above)

Directions,

Its easy, layer the fruit or jam, and yogurt,top with the crunchy granola and tuck in!

The jam was really easy to make, basically boil some strawberries or other berries with a generous squeeze of agave nectar and a little water just covering the bottom of the pan. Let this boil fairly fast for about 10 minutes until the fruit has started to break down and the liquid has reduced. Chill n the fridge until thickened to a jam-like consistency. It will keep in the fridge for about a week. The agave nectar makes it really sweet without the artificial taste of other sweeteners but keeps the GI low. In case you hadn't realised yet its one of my favourite ingredients and I seem to be putting it in everything at the moment. This tastes better than real jam, with half the calories and more of the real fruit goodness. SWEET!

Low fat Tiramisu

Last weekend I did a lot of cooking, a lot of eating and and no excercise so wasn't feeling too perky sitting at my desk on Monday morning. But what the hell! Sometimes you just need a weekend off right?

I love weekends like that and Sunday is usually my day for pottering about in the kitchen and experimenting. I posted on Facebook a week or so ago that I'd had a brainwave for a low fat tiramisu recipe. Its always been one of my favourite puds but the idea to try and healthify it came from one of Andy's work colleagues. He's been taking my cakes in to work. Partly to be nice (everyone likes the guy who brought cake!) but mainly so that the two of us don't it all ourselves. For me though its always nice to get feedback especially from people who don't know you. (Although they do work with my very nice but very grumpy boyfriend so they could just be being polite!)

Anyway last week, one of Andy's colleagues who left some particulary positive comments on my blog, asked him if I'd ever made a low fat tiramisu. I hadn't every really thought about it if I'm honest. I tend to think that desserts like tiramisu are there to be indulgent and so if your going to worry about calories you probably shouldn't be eating them. My philospohy isn't usually to cut down on calories, as much as it is to get something positive for your body from everything you eat and cut back on the negatives without compromising on the overall enjoyment of what your eating.

However I like a challenge so I scoured the internet for low fat tiramisu recipes to see what was already about. As I suspected they all used things like, low fat soft cheese, creme fraiche, and greek yogurt in some cases! Surely that would just taste sour, like a low-fat- not-as-good-as-a-real-dessert version of a tiramisu! Whats the point! If your going to have something that tastes like a 'healthy dessert' why not just have some fresh fruit and greek yogurt?

Theres no getting around it in my book! A real tiramisu is made with mascarpone and ther should be no compromising there. However when I found a lighter mascarpone cheese from tesco with 30% less fat, my brain suddenly came accross the answer of how to make a lower fat, great tasting tiramisu that doesn't taste like your on a diet but that doesn't require a 10 mile run then next day to burn off a small piece.

You can go on the 10 mile run if you want to though and you will be a better runner than me at the moment if you do!

So here it is:

LOW FAT TIRAMISU

Ingredients:

250g tub Tesco lighter mascarpone cheese

250g tub quark

2 individual pots of Alpro Soya creamy vanilla dessert

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

24 sponge finger biscuits

300mls freshly brewed espresso

25-50mls brandy (to taste)

1 tablespoon dark agave nectar

1 tablespoon cocoa powder.

Directions:

Whip the mascarpone, quark, soya desserts and vanilla extract until you get a smooth thick consistancy. Leave in the fridge.

Mix the espresso, brandy and agave in a shllow dish. take half of the sponge fingers and soak each biscuit in the coffee mixture for a few seconds then place them into the bottom of a medium sized serving dish to cover the bottom of the dish.

Take the mascarpone mixture and carefully spread half of the mixture in a layer on top of the soaked biscuits.

Repeat the two layers again and and finish by sifting the cocoa powder gently over the top.

This recipe makes 6 generous servings but you could easily get 8 out of it. It weighs in at 282 calories per 1/6th of the recipe and 6.5g saturated fat. Compare this with a Pizza express serving which has 539 calories/ slice. (These calorie calculations came from myfitnesspal.)

I think its a winner and I swear you couldn't tell it was low fat. The mascarpone made it super creamy and luxurious while the quark and soya desserts bulked out the mascarpone without adding excess saturated fat. The soya dessert did contain sugar but that was the only sugar added. It gave the mixture a lovely vanilla sweetness which cut through the quark stopping it from tasting to cheesy. It also cut down on the amount of dairy in the recipe which is great as I sometimes find really creamy dairy desserts can be difficult to digest.

All in all I was so pleased with it I took it outside and posed for a loving portait with it.... before we got stuck in and it didn't look so pretty.

Really proud of this one and can't wait to make it again! Perfect with a glass of red wine! Enjoy!

xxx

Courgette, roasted red pepper and basil risotto (under 600 calories!)

Last night, for the first time in ages I spent Saturday night in on my own. Andy was out and I couldn't recruit anyone to come and keep me company so there I was home alone. I wasn't looking forward to the prospect but then I decided to use the opportunity of a night by myself to indulge in the things that Andy doesn't like, namely X-Factor and risotto!

First things first lets talk about X-Factor! I didn't watch any of it last year. Andy really doesn't like it and we only had one TV. I could have put my foot down and watched it anyway but then I would have had to put up with the complaining. It didn't seem worth it.

Well sorry Andy but I watched it last night and I'm hooked! OK so I know its super staged and cheesy but its so much fun and I get quite emotional watching it. (nothing to do with the whole bottle of wine I drank of course!) It was the Liverpool auditions last night which was special to me because I lived there for 5 years. I don't think you will find people more passionate than scousers and they didn't disappoint. My favorite by far was Christopher Maloney, the older guy who came to the auditions with his lovely Nan and was massively nervous. I actually cried when he sang because he was so good. I cant help it, I'm an emotional wreck with these things and a sucker for a good sob story. Anyway my Saturday nights are sorted for the next few months now!

So along with my emotional reality TV fix, I made myself something else that Andy wouldn't like but that's always been one of my favorite things to eat- risotto!.

I sometimes order it in a restaurant but not often as it is really carb-heavy and restaurants usually finish it with lots of butter, cream and cheese so they can be really stodgy and fattening. Also because of the high fat content in some risottos, you often get a relatively small potion. I don't do small portions and I wanted a big bowl of silky risotto, with loads of flavour and minimal fat. The perfect comfort food dish for one! It comes in at around 550 calories which may sound like a lot but actually for a complete meal its not bad, also it makes a MASSIVE portion so most people would probably be able to scale it down (or even serve 2 with it) to suit smaller appetites. It does have cheese in it but only 20g and you really don't need any more than that as hard Italian cheese like parmesan or pecorino have such a strong flavour.

Here's how I did it:

Ingredients:

75g Arborio rice

100 ml white wine

600ml chicken/vegetable stock

1 Medium sized courgette

1 Red pepper

1/2 Onion

20g Pecorino or any had Italian cheese

1 Large clove of garlic

2 Teaspoons olive oil

Handful fresh basil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to around 180 degrees C. Chop the red pepper into 1cm pieces and roast in 1 teaspoon of olive oil for 15 minutes.

While the peppers are roasting, fry the onion, garlic and courgette in a saucepan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil for about 3-4 minutes until the volume is reduced and the veg is translucent. 

Add the rice and cook for a further 2 minutes making sure the rice is all fully coated.

Add the wine and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed. Then add the stock a bit at a time, adding more when the liquid has been absorbed and stirring occasionally to stop it sticking to the pan. It should take around 20 minutes until all the stock is absorbed and the rice is cooked but still firm.

Add the roasted peppers at the last minute, stir in the grated pecorino and chopped basil and season to taste.

I saved some of the pecorino and basil to sprinkle over the top to make it look pretty!

I treated myself to a bottle of white wine to go with it. It was on rollback at Asda so I got it for a fiver when it should have been about £7.As I've said before I don't know much about wine especially white wine but I loved it. It was dry but really fruity and light. I finished the whole bottle by myself!

The perfect Saturday night in by myself. Wine, risotto and my choice in TV. I wouldn't want to do it every week but as a one off it was actually really nice.

Today I'm going to go to the gym and then reward my hard work with a low fat tiramisu! See you soon! xxx

Easy chocolate cake thats good for you!!

No its not too good to be true!

I really have made a yummy, soft, light and really chocolatey cake thats not just 'not too bad for you', but actively good!!!

And the best thing is that people who aren't health food fans wont suspect a thing! It tastes totally indulgent!

OK I'm not saying its calorie free, or that you should eat the whole thing or anything, but if you taste it you wouldn't believe that it was made with whole wheat flour, no sugar and no butter!

To top it off its really simple to make!

What are you waiting for?!?!?

I iced this fatboy cake with lower fat peanut butter frosting which does have sugar in it (although not as much as traditional buttercream and a LOT less saturated fat!). If you wanted a completely sugar free version you could finish it with fresh cream and raspberries or cherries which would make a gorgeous summer dessert. My version has some sugar but about 60% less than a traditional sponge cake with buttercream, not to mention around 60% less saturated fat as well and an extra protein hit from the peanut butter! (I'm just guessing the percentages based on the percentages of fat differences in butter and low fat spread so may not be 100% acurate but they should be about right.)

I've just had a slice after a particularly hard gym session and it ticks all the right boxes,

• complex carbs
• protein
• low sugar
• delish!

Note: The key to making it sugar free was that I used one of my favourite ingredients, agave nectar, for sweetness. Both honey and agarve are both good natural sweetners however Agave Nectar is low in GI and doesn't make the insulin levels spike which can cause fatigue and cravings for more sugar soon after you've eaten. Its also lower in calories than sugar or even honey. You can get it in most health food shops and even in some supermarkets now. Its awsome on greek yogurt or porridge for breakfast.

Anyway, back to the cake!

Want to know how I made it??

Thought so... here it is:

Ingredients:

100g self raising flour

150g whole wheat self raising flour

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 eggs

half teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon bicarbinate of soda

150mls sunflower oil

100 mls semi skimmed milk

200mls dark Agave Nectar

Directions:

Grease and line 2 sandwich tins and preheat the oven to 150 degrees C.

Weigh the flour, salt, bicarb and sift the cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and mix well.

In a seperate bowl whisk the eggs, then add the milk, oil and agave and whisk until combined. Pour the wet mixture into the dry, combine and then whisk with and electic whisk for a few minutes.

The mixture will be quite sloppy. Pour it into the two tins and then bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins.

To make the lower fat peanut butter frosting:

Ingredients:

150g lurpak lightest spread

2 heaped dessert spoons of peanut butter.

100g icing sugar

Directions:

Whisk all the ingredients, taste and add more sugar if you like it sweeter and then chill in the fridge for an hour.

Once the cake is completely cooled, ice with the frosting in the middle and on the top. I finished mine with a little grated dark chocolate.

You can get 10 genorous slices out of the cake or upto 14 slimline pieces. the calorie counter I usually use didnt list Agave Nectar so I couldnt work out the exact calories but an educated guess I think the cake alone works aout at around 230 cals/slice, moving upto 300 with the frosting. Compare that to a similar sized slice of chocolate fudge cake and you would usually be looking at around 450 Cals. Then add in all the extra goodness thats packed into this cake and its a no brainer, my cake wins hands down!

I'm really proud of this cake because it came out loads better than I expected and the texture was really light, soft and moist!

I posted a picture of it on facebook last night and my friend Jo has requested I make her one for her birthday next month. I'm going to see her on Friday (cant wait to catch up) so have promised to bring some of this one over with me if any survives that long that is!!! 

Peace (of cake) out! xxx

Warning! Highly addictive substance! My mums famous marsbar crispie cakes!

Kate Moss once famously said that "Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels."

Well Kate obviously hasn't tried these! They are seriously dangerous!

Now usually I'm all for trying to give recipes a healthy twist, replace a bit of the fat or refined sugar or simply add some extra fibre or protein but with these bad boys, there is no redemption.

My mum used to make these foolproof treats for birthday parties and special occasions when we were kids. I have no idea where she got the original recipe from but i know she didn't make it up so I can't claim the credit for it even on her behalf. I have actually pimped the recipe a little from the way mum used to make it by adding a layer of chocolate topping making it even richer and naughtier. The opposite of what i usually do but what the hell!

I have made these for lots of my friends for birthdays, parties or just if they need a little cheering up and they always go down a storm. They are so easy to make as well and I have been requested by Anna Dunstan and Claire Williams to share this recipe so even though its absolutely not in any way healthy so not really in keeping with this blog, here it is. I reckon it tastes so good that its pure happiness in every piece so thats bound to be good for you anyway. Enjoy ladies!

Ingredients:

4 mars bars
4oz salted butter
400g rice crispies
100g milk chocolate

Directions:

Grease and line a 20cm square dish or cake tin with baking paper.
Chop each of the mars bars into 5 or 6 pieces and dice the butter nto smal chunks. Melt the butter and marsbars together in a pan mixing until smooth and combined.

Measure rice crispies into a large mixing bowl and pour over the mars bar mixture. Combine everything s that the rice crispies are evenly coated and press into the lined tray.

Melt the chocolate over a bowl of boiled water and then spread evenly over the crispie cake.

Leave in the fridge to set for at least an hour then take ut of the fridge for 20 minutes before cutting into squares. Best to store at room temp or in the friedge but take out and leave to warm up a little before eating.

I have yet to find anyone who doesn't love these little bites of naughtiness!

Just dont even think about the calories in this one!

Andy's favorite Banana & date loaf with cinnamon crumble topping

OK I think I've got a bit of an obsession with overripe bananas at the moment.


My boyfriend thinks I'm very picky because I refuse to eat a banana when it goes slightly brown and spotty. Truth be told I like them still slightly green best. Wierd I know but dont hold it against me... the over ripe bananas in our house cerainly don't go to waste. I actually love the sweetness of overripe bananas when cooked. They go in cakes, cookies, smoothies, ice creams (cant wait to try that out when I get an ice cream maker- but may have to hope for one for Christmas if I've been good!) and of course my weekend breakfast of choice, porridge.


I recently made a batch of these banana, peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious and as usual me and my partner-in-baked-goods-crime, Andy ate far too many of them.


Then a couple of weeks ago I had a few such overripe specimens knocking around at the end of the week so used them to make a simple banana cake recipe I found at allrecipes. click here to try it. It was excellent and as usual when I bake cake, it didnt last very long. Like the cookies though it wasn't particularly healthy and was full of refined sugar and empty calories, so I started thinking about how I could give this recipe a healthy makeover by substituting some of the ingredients but hopefully none of the flavour.

I think I have achieved this. My boyfriend is my official banana cake tester and has now tried about 5 different variations of the cake and loves it! After several (all pretty nice i have to say) attempts I think I have come up with the best of both worlds. A delicious luxuriously moist and sweet cake that is healthy too! I have substituted the sugar for dates so that it is all natural sugar and none refined (apart from 1 teaspoon in the crumble topping but this is optional and the cake is still really good without it!).  I have also subbed some of the flour for wholemeal self raising flour. This combined with the dates adds tones of fiber making it full of slow release energy. At first I used all wholewheat flour but the cake turned out slightly too dense so to lighten it up again I added in some plain self-raising flour.

I toyed with the idea of using oil or peanut butter for fat instead of the butter but in the end I opted against it. I want this to taste like a deliciously more-ish teatime treat not a 'healthy snack'. Instead of substituting i have scaled back on the butter slightly and added more milk. This way it keeps its luxurious buttery taste and its still a bit lighter.

Unfortunaely the first time I made it I attempted to take it out of the tin too soon, nearly dropped it, and as I saved it ended up punching the cake in the middle so it was pretty squished but still tasted good. Even though we still ate it (of course!!!) I do recommend not punching your cake when it comes out of the oven!

Here goes...

Ingredients:

For the cake:

200g chopped dates
100g whole wheat self raising flour
100g plain self raising flour
100g butter
80mls milk
1tspn baking powder
1 tspn vanilla extract
pinch salt
2 large very ripe bananas
1 egg

For the crumble topping:

1 tablespoon wholewheat flour
pinch salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
generous pinch of cinnamon
1 tspn butter

Directions:

Grease and line a standard loaf tin and preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.

Add the butter and 150g of the dates to a small pan and melt together. Once butter is melted simmer mixture on a very low heat for about 5 minutes while you measure the other ingredients then set aside to cool slightly.
In a separate bowl, mix together the 2 flours, salt, baking powder and the rest of the chopped dates.
Blend the bananas, milk and egg and vanilla extract.The easiest way to do it is with an electric hand blender. Add this mixture to the cooled dates and butter and mix well.
Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix quickly. Don't over mix it or you will end up with a tough chewy cake.
Pour into the lined tin and bake for a total of 50 minutes.
While the cake is starting to bake make the crumble topping by rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the crumble to the cake after 30 mins and then continue to bake for a further 20.

Ok so this cake isn't particularly low in calories but lets be honest, cakes that are low in cals usually taste like they are! Has anyone really had a decent sized slice of cake under 150 cals that actually tasted delicious?? If so I want to hear about it but I'm pretty skeptical. Cake is meant to be nice its not meant to be low in calories. However if like me you want to make room in a balanced diet for nice things like cake then wouldn't you rather feel like it was doing you some good as well as being yummy? Surely thats a double whammy! I'm not saying I don't enjoy sugary cakes and biscuits sometimes this cake is perfect as it really doesn't compromise on flavor and isn't full of empty calories.

|Absolute perfection with a cup of tea! xx

Healthy home made 'breakfast friendly' hobnob style biscuits

I'm a firm believer that breakfast is really important. I rarely miss it but usually have something at my desk when I get to work because if I eat before leaving the house I find I'm hungry again by about 10am. This means that for my breakfasts in the week I need to have something quick and convenient as there is no toaster or cooking equipment at work. With that in mind my choices are limited. I sometimes have cereal like fruit & fiber or Dorset cereals but as I've mentioned before I'm not great at portion control. I reckon lots of people are the same because the 30-40g recommended serving of cereals is actually not that much. Before you know it you could be doubling the amount of calories it states for 1 serving on the box and not even realize it.

Ready made so called 'breakfast' products like cereal bars, muffins or breakfast biscuits are actually really high in sugar. Now I do think a bit of sugar is OK in the morning especially if you have worked out but these processed snacks always leave me with a sickly sweet taste in the mouth and set me up with sugar cravings for the rest of the day. I must confess I do actually really enjoy a few biscuits with my coffee for breakfast and I have been known to eat 4 or 5 hobnobs to set me up for the day. Hobnobs are actually made with wholewheat flour and oats so have a decent amount of fiber and at 72 cals each, 5 biscuits actually makes for a decent sized breakfast BUT they are made with a high percentage of corn syrup which gives them that super sweet golden syrup flavor and immediately makes you crave more.

I decided to try and make my own version of this crunchy oaty biscuit that would be much less sweet and therefore suitable for the first meal of the day. For sweetness I used honey which is a natural source of sugar so much better for us that sickly uber-refined corn syrup and also gives them a really nice delicate flavor. They are packed full of fiber so they should keep me full for at least a good chunk of the morning and the fat I used is olive oil which is low in saturates. In short they are about as breakfast friendly as any biscuit is likely to get although there is no protein so I would recommend adding another element alongside the biscuits for a really balanced breakfast. Perhaps a yogurt, some cottage cheese or peanut butter.

They are also a great afternoon/ pre-gym snack with dark chocolate on top. If you use good quality dark chocolate and spread it sparingly it only alters the nutrition content slightly.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:

180g wholewheat pastry flour
60g oats
60g olive oil
60g honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt.
Optional: 60g dark chocolate

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C and line a flat baking tray with baking paper.

Mix flour, oats, salt and baking powder in one bowl and in another whisk the oil, honey and vanilla extract together with a fork until combined. Pour the oil mixture into the dry ingredients and mix into a dough with hands. Carefully make small balls about the size of a 2p coin and place onto the baking sheet. One by one flatten the balls on the sheet into flat, round biscuit shapes about 2-3mm thick. The biscuits will hold the same shape once cooked so get them exactly how you want them now. Bake in batches of 12 for about 7-8 minutes until just starting to brown at the edges.

Once cool you can add the chocolate topping if you want by melting the chocolate over a bowl of hot water and then spreading a thin layer on each biscuit and setting in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Nutritionally the plain biscuits have 63 calories compared with 72 for a bought hobnob and tonnes less sugar and additives.

The chocolate variety have 70 calories compared with 95 for a dark chocolate Mcvities hobnob. (Calories calculated at spark people.)

I'm not saying they taste exactly the same. They are much less sweet so don't expect an exact replica but I think they are much nicer and a really convenient brekkie delicious with coffee.  Not to mention the satisfaction of actually making something yourself!

Enjoy! xx

Chocanana Chocolate ripple porridge

I've been feeling a little under the weather the last few days. I've had a bit of a stomach bug (there's lots of it going around at the moment I'm told) and been almost completely off my food for the last 3 days. I say almost because I'm never completely off my food but even I have been able to eat little more than a piece of toast. It so very rarely happens to me that it really took me by surprise. Being unable to eat is so depressing, I was really looking forward to feeling hungry again so I can make up for my malnutrition and pig out!

So I've woken up today and feel a little better and slightly hungry. Apparently you should eat only plain foods when your a little off colour and no dairy. I was so bored of toast and was dying for something with a little flavour. I decided to make some porridge with a banana and water instead of milk to cut out the dairy. Also bananas are supposed to be great for soothing the stomach. I got a bit carried away and added one or two other ingredients and here's my choctastic, choconana porridge with chocolate ripple. With absolutely no fat, refined sugar or dairy.

Ingredients:

1 banana
30g porridge oats
300 mls water
Pinch salt
2 Teaspoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons dark agarve nectar

Directions:

Mash the banana and put in a pan with the oats, water, salt, I teaspoon of the cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of the agarve nectar and simmer for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl mix the remaining agarve and cocoa into a smooth chocolate sauce consistency.

When the porridge is cooked take off the heat, pour into a bowl and swirl in the chocolate sauce to make a ripple effect.

Enjoy the chocolatiness and the soothing effect on your tummy with no guilt and no sugary insulin spike and slump! Perfection!

This breakfast has around 300 calories.

Using leftovers- Stuffed Chicken

One thing I really hate is wasting food. I guess I've had it drummed into mefrom a really young age as while I was growing up there was always enough foodbut we were taught not to be greedy and serving sizes were usually modest inour house.

My mum, although she can sometimes turn out delicious meals and cakes, hasnot got the love for food that I have and I always felt that cooking was something of a chore for her. Its not surprising really when having to cater for 3 fussy,ungrateful children and my dad who shall we say is not the most adventurouseater. He likes traditional meat and two veg, he dislikes pasta, rice, curry,lentils, anything with chilli in etc. etc... the list could go on. That said mydad will eat just about anything you put in front of him. He just doesn'talways receive it in the most gracious fashion if its not to his taste. (He is often quoted in our family from one particular occasion when after a meal of some sort of pasta bake withchilli that my brother had made, as saying he "manfully chomped throughit!" It was said in such a fashion as to imply that my brother should be gratefulthat he suffered through such a terrible meal.)

Anyway I digress, the point being that while I was growing up food was not apassion or a love in my family. While we had nice meals and the usual treatsthat children have on special occasions, mealtimes were there for a functionrather than something to get excited about. I often wonder where my obsessionwith food came from and if it was a reaction to the way we ate as a family.

Needless to say, my portions are not always (or ever) as modest as my mumswere. I suppose I'm a bit of a feeder but I love the satisfaction of giving people anice meal and the option of seconds (or thirds). I find big dishes of food verycomforting even if you dont eat it all there and then. I love to be over generouswith food and give people as much as they want and let them indulge. For memealtimes are something to look forward to. I often start planning what I willhave for dinner that evening while I'm having my morning coffee. That mightseem a bit strange but your either a foodie (a term my sister hates- it remindsher of snobbish, pretentious people on Come Dine With Me who look down theirnose at the other contestants lowly efforts as "not dinner partyfood" and namedrop having been to Heston Blumenthal’s restaurant over 20times) or your not and I think we can safely establish that I am.(Sorry sis!)

So on Sunday night I made a very big roast chicken dinner. There was onlythe two of us eating but I made enough food to sink a battleship with the viewthat we could eat the leftovers during the week. I made roast chicken (basted inlow fat olive oil spread, garlic and fresh herbs from the garden), roastedgarlic and rosemary sweet potatoes, asparagus and spring greens, gravy (madefrom homemade chicken stock and roasted veg) and a big tray off stuffing (madefrom grated carrots and onions, fresh herbs, nuts, breadcrumbs and an egg). Aspredicted we managed to eat quite a lot of it anyway but there were chicken andsweet potatoes left which I have been taking in my packed lunch to work thisweek along with chopped raw vegetables for a healthy, interesting and frugalpacked lunch. There was also over half of the stuffing. I had an idea for whatto do with it yesterday morning (over coffee again). I made it last night andit was every bit as good as I thought it would be. You don't have to make itwith stuffing, it would be good with leftover veg, sweet potatoes or evensausages but I havn't tried any of these I'm just guessing.

Here’s my Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Leftovers and Parmesan

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
100g leftovers (stuffing/ vegetables/ sausages etc.)
50g low fat soft cheese
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1 packet Parma ham/ Serrano ham etc.

Directions:

First slice the chicken breasts so that they are butterflied and have twiceas much surface area but still in one piece. place between 2 pieces of clingfilm and pound with a rolling pin to flatten out as much as possible.

In a bowl, mix the chosen leftovers (chopped or crumbled finely) with thelow fat cheese and the parmesan. Place half the mixture in the middle of eachchicken breast and roll the chicken around it so that there are no gaps.

Wrap each stuffed breast tightly in cling film and leave in the fridge foran hour or longer. You don’t have to do this but I find it helps keep thefilling inside the chicken when it comes to cooking.

After an hour, take the chicken out and wrap it neatly in the Parma ham.Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I served this with sweet potato and wholegrain mustard mash. The mustardspeeds up metabolism and adds plenty of flavour so you don’t need to add butteror salt and sweet potato is lower GI than normal potato and fewer calories.Plus its packed full of anti-oxidants.

The chicken has around 400 cals/ serving so add in the sweet potato and somegreens and your looking at around 600 cals for a REALLY tasty and nutritiousmeal. Also worth remembering that parmesan cheese is actually a great cheesefor keeping calories down. The flavour you get from it is so strong that youhardly need any. The calories from the parmesan in this recipe amount to about10-15 per serving but the flavour you get from it is really intense so a much better choicethan a milder cheese.

Sorry no pictures just yet as I forgot to take any but I'm planning on making the same again tonight so will add them asap!

On a different note I have discovered another blog that I absolutely LOVE! Check out SugarHero. Its awsome! Elizabeth who writes it reminds me a little of me because she is totally obsessed with baking and all things sweet but she is also really active and loves running and working out which she says balances out the amount of sugar she eats. I've not had a look at the whole site yet but the recipes I have seen look amazing and I cant wait to try some of them out. Elizabeth, unlike me does not seem to be particularly interested in making healthier alternatives but thats her perogative and I really enjoy her style of writing and like her outlook on life. The only problem is that being an American site her recipes all use 'cups' as measurements. That said I am going over there in October for a week in Chicago so hopefully I will be able pick up a 'cup' measure while I'm accross the pond!

Laters! xxx

Craving compromiser cookies

I came home from work today with an insatiable craving for something sweet. What can I say it had been one of those days!

With no goodies in the fridge and not having worked out in 2 days, it was time for a compromise. A quick sweep of ingredients in the cupboard and I had an idea for my craving compromise cookies. So called because they aren't exactly good for you but they aren't too bad, and they taste like a really yummy toffee treat! They definitely hit the spot!

Ingredients:

2oz dark brown muscavado sugar

2oz olive oil based spread

6oz flour (plain or self raising for a really light texture)

Half a teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Half a teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

8 dates

Here's what I did:

Mix the spread, sugar and vanilla extract until combined. Pit and chop the dates and then mix the rest of the ingredients until all combined into a dough like texture. Roll into balls and press lightly with a fork to add texture and flatten and bake on a greased baking tray for 15 minutes at 170 degrees C.

I was really pleased with the way these turned out. They tasted like toffee fudge cookies. The olive spread instead of butter meant they weren't too high in fat and most of the fat was low in saturates. The dates added natural sweetness so they were really sweet without having to add too much sugar. All in all a slightly naughty snack that was much nicer than a bar of chocolate and not as bad for you! That's what I call a compromise!

The recipe made 8 cookies. Approx 150 cals/cookie

Real figgy fig rolls!

Feeling very proud of myself at the moment (if a little old before my time) because I spent yesterday afternoon gardening! Sounds a bit sad I know but actually it was very satisfying and the gardens looking great now!

We came back from holiday last weekend and because of all the rain while we had been away the garden had gone from looking slightly overgrown to looking like noone lives there. We had to do something but didn't know where to start. Luckily Andys parents are quite handy with a trowel and they came over to help so between the four of us we managed to get it looking presentable again.

With the in laws descending at short notice I had to think fast for a tasty snack to offer them with a cup of tea and because there was a diabetic amongst us it has to be very low sugar. I eventually came across some dried figs and some ready made pastry and hoped that my idea would work. It did! My fig rolls were much tastier than shop bought ones and had a much better ratio of pastry to filling. I wouldn't normally use ready made pastry because I like making things from scratch and also because I would usually choose whole meal flour for extra fibre but these were so quick and easy using the shop bought I would probably do the same again.

Heres what I did...

Ingredients:

150g dried figs
Juice half a lemon
100 mls water
I sheet just roll short crust pastry
1 teaspoon Demerara sugar
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Simmer figs, water, lemon juice and salt in a pan until figs are soft and most of the water has been absorbed then mash the mixture with a fork.

Next roll out the pastry into a rectangle About the size of an A4 piece of paper and cut into 2 smaller rectangles (A5 size)

Spoon the fig mixture along one edge of each peace and roll them over into a sausage roll shape with the fold facing down.

Cut each sausage into small pieces about an inch and a half thick. You should get about 6 from each sausage.

Sprinkle the tips of the fig rolls with he sugar and bake on a greased baking tray at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes.

These are a great snack for someone wanting to cut down on refined sugar because most of the sweetness comes from the figs themselves. They are also packed with fibre and slow release energy. I know the pastry isn't really that good for you but it should be quite thin and compared to high sugar shop bought alternatives this is tonnes better for you!

I reckon 1 piece is about 120 calls which is twice as much as a shop bought one but 10 times as nice and also triple the amount of fibre! So get stuck in!

Xx

Homemade tapas in the garden

Wow not posted for ages!

Things have been pretty hectic at work and not been cooking for a few weeks. We have been very naughty and just living on takeaways and bar snacks for a few weeks.

And more recently just got back from 2 and a half weeks in Spain which I LOVED! I so needed a holiday and it was perfect and I spent my days getting up at around 9.30 and going for a 3 mile run on the seafront before it got too hot, then just chilling by the pool, swimming, reading 50 shades of Grey on my kindle (soooo crap but wierdly addictive, definately a guilty pleasure) and of course EATING!

We didn't hold back! We stuffed ourselves on bread, cheese, chorizo, cured meats and olives. Not to mention copius amounts of beer and wine! Thankfully my early morning running seemed to stave off the weight gain so I didn't seem to come back too much heavier.

Check out this study I'm living proof that training first thing can put the body into fat burning mode and offset even a very high calorie diet!

The following meal is a post that I have tried posting twice already but my computer crashed on me at the last minute. Fingers crossed it will be third time lucky. This is from a couple of months ago when we had a rare but precious sunny weekend.

So here's what I made...

My healthy(ish) homemade tapas feast!!!

Heres what I made:

• Chicken in white wine, garlic and lemon juice
• Sweet potato chips with red chilli
• Chickpeas and chorizo
• Stuffed peppers with feta and pine nuts
• roasted courgette and manchego bites
• Roasted asparagus salad

Sounds good huh? Sounds like a lot of hassel and a lot of calories??

Wrong and wrong again. I knocked this little lot together in less than an hour (although the kitchen did look like a bomb had hit it by the time I'd finished) and it contains low fat cheeses to cut down on fat and only good for you, complex carbs. No stodgy white bread or potatoes and definately nothing deep fried! I made double what we needed with the intention of packing the rest up and going for a picnic the next day but guess what... we ate nearly all of it! It was just too nice... if i do say so myself!

Heres what I did...

Chicken in white wine, garlic and lemon juice

Cut 2 large or 3 small chicken breasts into thin strips and spread out in an oven proof dish. Drizzle over 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Crush 2 cloves of garlic over the chicken and rub into the meat. Squeeze over the juice of a lemon and pour 100ml of white wine and mix it all together. Leave to marinate for as long as possible while your preparing the rest of the tapas dishes and then bake at 170 degrees for about 20 minutes

Roasted Asparagus salad

Roast Asparagus tips in olive oil, oregano, salt and black pepper at 170 degrees for about 12-14 minutes.

serve on a bed of baby gem lettuce and shaved reduced fat parmesan cheese. Drizzel over the roasting juices from the asparagus to dress the salad.

Stuffed Peppers with feta cheese and pine nuts

Fry finely diced peppers, mushrooms, onions and a crushed clove of garlic and sweat down until soft. While that is cooking roast 2 halved peppers in a little olive oil and put 50g brown rice on to cook. The rice should take about 20 minutes and the peppers about 15. While the peppers cool mix the cooked rice into the veg mixture and add 30g pine nuts and 50g crumbled feta cheese. Spoon the rice mixture into the cooked pepper halves and top with a little cheese that will melt (i used manchego) and return to the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is browned on top.

Sweet potato chips with red chilli

Cut 1 sweet potato into 1cm cubes and fry in a little olive oil. When they are nearly cooked add 1 finly diced red chilli and cook for a further few minutes then season with a little salt. (As you can see from the picture I forgot about mine and burned them slightly but they still tasted really good. Might be an idea to make them first and then just bung in the oven to heat through at the last minute as they do need a lot of attention.)

Chickpeas and chorizo

Fry finely cubed vegetables in olive oil unitl soft. I used the same vegetable mix as for the stuffed peppers and used half for this and half for the peppers.

When vegetables are soft remove from the pan and fry sliced chorizo for 3-4 minutes. I used about half of a horseshoe shaped chorizo for 2 people but the amount it made could easily have fed four.

When the chorizo is cooked return the softened veg to the pan and add 1 can of drained chickpeas. Cook together for a few minutes until it is all warmed through.

                                                                                        Roasted courgette and manchego bites

                                                                                           Very easy! Slice a large courgette into lengthways slices, you should get about 6. Roast them in a little olive oil until soft and then take out and roll each slice up with a a slice of manchego cheese. (Andy's favourite can you guess). Put back into the oven for another few minutes until cheese has melted slightly and the top of the courgette has browned.

We washed it all down with a bottle of Albarino from the wine shop in West Didsbury. I dont usually drink white but this was delicious and went perfectly with the food and the weather. It was very dry and light but still fruity and fresh. I am realiably informed it had a slightly salty aftertaste due to the vineyard being close to the sea. I cant say i noticed it but it was a really nice wine nonetheless. Definately a 9/10!

It cost about £12.

Needless to say I'm not going to even try to calculate the calorie content in this because we ate LOADS! Far more than 2 people needed but as I mentioned before, there was loads of good stuff in there and not too many bad fats. If your going to indulge then this is definatly the way to do it!

So anyway I am back on the wagon now of healthy food and for the next few weeks I am going to attempt no booze!

I will update on how I get on but I'm hoping to get my cook/bake on and have some tasty offerings to write about.

Would be lovely to think that someone might read this but even if I'm just rambling to myself... Ciao for now!

xx